Letting Go
by modernbard
Summary: Xena and Gabrielle have spent the past week in the Amazon village helping them rebuild after Valesca's rampage. Once everything begins to settle back to normal, they have a chance to talk about Xena's death, the kiss and more. And one will finally let go.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer 1: Don't own 'em, wish I did cause Xena wouldn't have gone out like that, let me tell ya!

Disclaimer 2: This story is told on the premise that these two women are in love with each other. Nothing graphic, just declarations of love. If this offends, I feel very, very sorry for you. Please go out and have a chocolate milkshake cause I don't know of anything else that would help!

Author's note: This story takes place after the events of the episodes _The Quest_ and _A Necessary Evil_. I am a firm believer that this was the moment when neither one was willing to let things continues as they were before. I mean Xena could hear Gabrielle's thoughts for crying out loud. And I am also a firm believer that Xena came back because of Gabrielle and the pain she was feeling.

However, having said that, I realized that the events of _A Necessary Evil_ followed far too closely to Xena's rebirth. And that any serious discussion that these two were going to have would have to come after Valesca had been taken care of.

And of course, knowing the two people involved I think that they might have had a hard time broaching the subject. The gods know that Xena is just _so_talkative. So, here's how I think the walls finally fell between them.

The lyrics that I included at various points are from the song _Anywhere_ by _Evanescence_. I found this song by accident one day while surfing on Youtube. There is a beautiful video of Xena and Gabrielle there using this song that completely captures their relationship and what they mean to each other. I strongly urge all of you who read this to check it out as it inspired me to sit down and write this! Just go to youtube and do a search for xena and gabrielle and anywhere. They won't let me put the address on here. Trust me it is so worth it.

As always, feedback is welcome. Flamers can go jump off a cliff!

* * *

_Dear my love, haven't you wanted to be with me  
And dear my love, haven't you longed to be free_

Xena awoke to sunlight dancing on her face and she frowned as she opened her eyes. The sun shone in through the window, its gentle light dancing through the trees. Surprised that she had slept so far past dawn, she reached a hand out across the bed only to find the space next to her empty and cool. The frown deepened as she realized that somehow, Gabrielle had left their hut without waking her.

She sat up, getting out of bed and rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she crossed the large room of the Queen's hut. Her armor was in the corner, right where she'd left it and her weapons were near the bed. Even in the middle of the Amazon village, she still felt the need to be prepared. And the events of the last week had only reinforced that habit.

She looked around the room as she splashed water on her face and wondered just how long Gabrielle had been up and where she'd run off to. It was not like her traveling companion to rise before she did; more often then not, Xena was the one to rouse the sound sleeping bard. And it was even more unusual for Xena not to be awakened by her once she did rise.

She donned her armor quickly and efficiently and decided that maybe she should go find her. Then, maybe they could grab some breakfast together. The gods knew that they hadn't managed to spend a great deal of time together recently. And she was beginning to wish they were out on the road and well away from Gabrielle's well meaning and well intentioned Amazon sisters.

She left the hut to see that everyone else had started their day. The village was bustling with a great deal of controlled chaos.

She bounced down the stairs and grabbed the first passing Amazon she saw.

"Have you seen Gabrielle this morning?" She sighed when the Amazon simply shook her head and ran off. Thinking that maybe the bard was eating, she headed towards the communal cooking hut, keeping all her senses peeled for the young Amazon queen.

She popped her head into the kitchen area to see Eusta and Caith bustling away. "Hey, has Gabrielle been in here yet?"

Eusta nodded. "She came in real early for something to drink and then ran off. Last I knew she was on the west end of the village overseeing some new project Ephiny wanted to start."

Xena gave her a nod and a small grin. "Thanks Eusta." And then she was gone, heading towards the west end of the village.

As she walked along, she found herself pausing for a moment to admire the view around her. What she saw lifted her somewhat sagging spirits. Gone was the burnt debris, the piles of rubble and destroyed buildings. In place of the shattered remnants of the village stood newly constructed buildings and homes, erected by a people too proud to know when to quit. And encouraged by a queen far too determined and stubborn for her own good.

Injuries too had been minor; most were little more than cuts and bruises with a few broken bones thrown into the mix. There had been one death but given what could have happened when faced with a newly made rampaging goddess, Xena felt extremely fortunate.

She started walking once more, even waving as several Amazons greeted her by name but didn't stop. Things were finally returning to normal and it was time that she and Gabrielle had a serious talk and today was going to be the day. The final repairs were being finished and the last injured Amazon had been released from the healers care. Now she could turn her attention to helping her friend recover from the emotional pain of the past week.

Gabrielle tried to deny it, even tried to play it all off, saying that all she really needed was time. But Xena wasn't fooled. Something was still deeply troubling her friend. And it was something that she was still hesitant to talk about, something that surprised Xena a great deal.

_It happened their first night together after her resurrection. They wanted to camp outside the village for some privacy but the Amazons, Ephiny in particular insisted that they sleep in a comfortable bed. So they'd commandeered the Queen's hut, sitting outside of it, talking quietly about nothing important until well after dark._

_Xena had simply sat on a bench, sharpening her sword just enjoying the sensations of life around her. There'd been no desire to sleep or to eat despite the fatigue and hunger she felt. Those desires had been overwhelmed by the simple need to sit and feel once more. And so she had sat there for what seemed like a long time, honing her blade and reminding herself of everything she missed about being alive._

_Gabrielle sat with her for a time keeping her company but upon seeing a long jaw-cracking yawn come from her friend, Xena suggested she head off to bed, saying she would be there shortly._

_Gabrielle nodded sleepily and stood as another yawn escaped her. She reached out and touched Xena's arm for a moment and in the next, enveloped the taller woman in a fierce embrace._

_Touched Xena returned the embrace without thinking, simply enjoying the moment of quiet between them. And after a moment, gently nudged the bard off to bed. Several moments later, the sound of soft snoring came through the window, its delicate rumble picked up by her sensitive ears. She smiled slightly as she paused in her sharpening to listen to a noise that she had never thought to hear again._

_Xena smiled slightly, giving her sword one last pass and stood there for a moment staring up at the stars. Feeling an urge to reach out and trace patterns in them as she and Gabrielle had done so many times before. The thought brought a smile to her face; those times seemed like a lifetime ago._

_Another gentle snore drifted to her ears and she decided that maybe she should probably head off to bed herself. So putting her sharpening supplies away and with sword in hand, she walked into the hut to sleep her first night of sleep since she'd died._

_She walked into the room just as Gabrielle awoke screaming, her face and body bathed in sweat. Panicked, Xena dropped her sword and nearly leaped over to the bed. She reached out to touch Gabrielle gently and the bard jerked upright and away from her hands._

"_Gabrielle, it's me. I'm here. It's all right, you're safe." She grasped the shaking woman firmly, trying to pull her out of the nightmare she was obviously trapped in._

_Gabrielle turned at her voice, her red-rimmed eyes nearly obscuring the dark circles underneath them. She trembled slightly as she reached out to touch Xena's face. "Xena?"_

_Xena smiled, touching the hand on her face. "Yeah, you okay?"_

_Gabrielle's hand dropped and she nodded, swiping a hand across her face as she tried to compose herself once more. "Yeah, just a nightmare."_

_Xena got a damp cloth from the nearby stand and gently wiped the bard's pale face. She had a pretty good idea of just what had caused the nightmare and felt a new surge of guilt at causing her friend pain._

"_Some nightmare. Sure you're all right?"_

_Gabrielle nodded as Xena set the cloth aside. "Yeah, I am now."_

"_Do you want to talk about it?"_

_Gabrielle shook her head, shuddering. "No, not tonight. Tomorrow when it's light out, I promise."_

_Xena understood and silently removed her armor and crawled into bed. She reached out and pulled the bard against her side, offering comfort and rubbing her back with a soothing motion as she closed her eyes._

"_Come on, let's get some sleep. No more nightmares tonight, okay." She felt Gabrielle nod and then she drifted off herself a few moments later a vague fearful thought of just what Gabrielle's nightmare had been about following her down into the darkness._

There had been no more nightmares, but they also had not managed to talk about it either.

Xena was broken from her thoughts as her ears picked up the familiar sound of Gabrielle's laughter. She headed in the direction of the sound and came upon a group of Amazons standing near the young Queen. She was close enough to catch part of the conversation.

"This looks like a great spot. Double check with Ephiny first though. She might know of a better one."

The Amazon bowed slightly, flashed the bard a smile and dashed off.

Xena smiled slightly at the look of near adoration and hero worship she could see on the young Amazon's face. Then Gabrielle turned, flashing her own smile and for a moment, Xena well understood the adoration on the young Amazon's face. She was pretty sure she had nearly the same dorky expression on her face at that moment.

Gabrielle stepped closer, touching Xena's arm and without thinking, Xena let her own hand come up and touch her shoulder.

"You were up early."

Gabrielle grinned slightly at the gentle ribbing. "I'm a little surprised by that myself."

"I'm a little amazed that you managed to get up without waking me."

"I didn't want to wake you. You looked so tired last night and I thought you could use the sleep."

Xena smiled as her arm dropped around the bard's shoulders and they began walking back towards the center of the village. She felt an arm come up and wrap around her waist and simply let it stay, enjoying the contact.

"I can sleep when I'm…" She let the sentence trail off, feeling the bard stiffen. She turned, seeing the stricken expression cross her friend's face and mentally kicked herself for her callous words. "Sorry, that was a bit harsh."

Gabrielle took a deep breath and shook her head. "Don't apologize, it's just an expression. I shouldn't let it bother me."

Xena stopped walking, forcing Gabrielle to face her as she spoke. "But it does Gabrielle and I know it's not the only thing." The bard remained silent so Xena continued. "I talked with Altara yesterday. She released the last Amazon from the healing hut around dinner time yesterday. And, I've also spoken with Solari and she said that the last of the repairs should be finished today, with or without our help."

Gabrielle nodded a pleased expression on her face, "Sounds like everything is back to normal."

"Seems that way." She crossed her arms and gave the young Amazon her best, no nonsense look. "So are you ready to talk?"

"About?" Gabrielle replied innocently.

Xena simply quirked an eyebrow, not having to say a word.

Gabrielle smiled slightly, a slightly chagrined look flashing across her face. "Yeah, I know stupid of me to think that you wouldn't remember."

"Well?"

Gabrielle shivered slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. "They're just nightmares Xena. They haven't bothered me since that first night."

"Gabrielle, what are they about?" Her tone was gentle but firm.

Gabrielle took a deep breath, gazing off into the distance as she spoke. "Flash backs, mostly of you getting hit by that log and then dying in Niklio's hut." She turned to look at Xena, a strange, unreadable look on her face. A tear slowly slid down Gabrielle's face as she spoke.

Xena resisted the urge to reach up and wipe it away, feeling her heart clench at the pain and fear in her friend's voice. "Why didn't you tell me about any of this?"

Gabrielle sniffed loudly, angrily wiping the tear away. "What good would it do Xena? You're back, it's just going to take my brain a little longer to get over you dying is all."

Xena draped her arm across the shorter woman's shoulders once more and began leading her through the village. "Well, if it helps, you can keep using me as a pillow at night."

Gabrielle chuckled as she gave Xena a hug. "Sometimes I'm really glad you're so understanding. It'd be really embarrassing if I was so touchy feely with someone else."

Xena smiled and then her face grew serious. "So other than the nightmares, are you all right?"

She was quiet for several moments, lost in thought before she answered. "Okay, I guess. This was a little scary. People have hunted me before, but only to hurt you. No one's ever hunted _me_ before. How do you deal with it?"

Xena smiled. "I've had longer to get used to it I guess. Besides, with my violent tendencies only the real idiots keep trying."

Gabrielle chuckled. "You've got a point there."

Xena chuckled along with her and they walked in silence for the next few minutes. A sudden thought occurred to Xena and she turned back to her shorter companion with the idea. "Listen, why don't we take a break for a few days, give you a chance to catch your breath."

Gabrielle smiled and nodded. "I'd like that."

"So where would you like to go?"

Gabrielle shrugged, nodding at someone who greeted her as they passed. "Could we just stay in the village for a few days? I mean we did just spend all of that time and effort to help them rebuild. I'd like to enjoy it for awhile."

Xena smirked slightly knowing full well what would happen if they stayed in the village. "All right but if you stay, they might decide to throw a party."

Gabrielle snorted softly. "Yeah right, like Amazons need an excuse to do that. I think they're planning to throw one whether we stay or not."

Again Xena smirked. "Probably, still wanna stay?"

Gabrielle smiled, "Absolutely."

They stopped in front of the food hut and Gabrielle's stomach took that moment to roar loudly at her. They both chuckled at the familiar sound.

"I'm guessing you haven't had much to eat yet."

Again the chagrined look flashed across Gabrielle's face. "No, not really."

"Come on, let's get the monster fed. Then we can go find Ephiny and Solari." She led the bard inside.

* * *

_I can't keep pretending that I don't even know you  
And at sweet night, you are my own  
Take my hand_

They walked into the hut and Xena noticed that Ephiny was all ready there, eating alone. She and Gabrielle grabbed something to eat and headed over to Ephiny's table.

Ephiny looked up in surprise as Gabrielle and Xena sat across from her.

"Hey, I was wondering where you two had gotten off to."

Gabrielle dug into her food with gusto, her appetite still not managing to hinder her ability to talk. "Just finishing picking out the location for the new storage hut you wanted."

Ephiny nodded, pushing her nearly finished breakfast aside. "Good, one less thing on my mind."

"Glad I could help. So what's on the agenda for today Ephiny?"

Ephiny shrugged, thinking. "Well, there are a few minor issues with a couple of our neighbors."

Xena spoke up for the first time, "Anything serious?"

Ephiny shook her head. "No, mostly just updating treaties and renegotiating land rights. Its pretty boring stuff actually."

Xena shrugged and turned her attention back to her food.

"I'd like to take a look if you don't mind." Gabrielle shoved the last morsel into her mouth as she finished speaking and began eyeing was left on Xena's plate.

Ephiny watched the bard in amusement. "Sure. Then there're the plans for the party in a couple of days."

Gabrielle snorted as she snagged a piece of cheese and popped it into her mouth. "I told you they'd throw a party."

Xena shrugged ignoring the theft. "I never said they wouldn't."

Gabrielle gave her a quizzical look, snagging another piece of cheese as she did so. "All right fine, whatever you say."

Xena turned her attention to her shorter companion, handing over the rest of her plate as she did so. "As I recall I was the one who said they'd probably throw a party. You were the one who said they just needed an excuse."

Gabrielle chuckled. "You're splitting hairs again.

"Yeah well only one of us can be right. And since I've got the better track record…" she drained her cup as she watched Gabrielle ate the rest of her breakfast.

Ephiny watched the entire exchange in bewilderment. "If you two are done, I can go on."

They both turned to her and Gabrielle nodded. "Oh please, by all means finish."

Ephiny gave a wry grin. "Thank you. As I was saying, there are the preparations for the party in two days. And we were thinking that since that night falls so close to one of our minor festivals to Artemis, we'd like to combine the two and just celebrate everything all at once."

Gabrielle nodded, eating the last piece of bread, her stomach finally full "sounds good."

Xena sighed. "Sounds like a real pain in the…"

Gabrielle slapped her arm playfully, startling Ephiny "Xena."

Xena rolled her eyes. "Well what do expect me to say?" She turned to look at the regent. "Come on Eph, when it comes to festivals and parties you Amazons don't do minor."

Gabrielle was still confused. "Which means?"

"This means that this party just got a whole lot bigger."

"And as our Queen you get to officiate in some of the rituals and judge in some of the competitions." She gave the queen a grand smile.

Gabrielle groaned softly as she realized just what the party meant for her. "Why do I get the feeling that this is going to turn out to be a real pain in the…"

"Gabrielle!" Xena did not slap her arm, but her tone of voice was enough to stop the bard.

She grinned sheepishly at Xena, an impish twinkle in her eye as she changed the subject. "Look, now that that's all settled, I'm gonna go find Eponin; now that things have calmed down a bit I think its time I took her up on her offer to spar."

Xena smirked at her knowing full well why Gabrielle was seeking out the Amazon's weapons master. "And you call me competitive."

Gabrielle sat there with an innocent look on her face, her arms crossed over her chest. "And just what's that supposed to mean?"

Xena shrugged, looking around the room casually, ignoring Ephiny's startled gaze. "Nothing, I'm sure you just want to spar."

Gabrielle snorted slightly. "Right, I'm really buying that one." Her finger reached out and poked the taller woman in the chest. "Spill Princess."

Xena, somewhat pleased that she was playing along pretended to confess. "Fine. I think you just want to show her how much you've improved since we were here the last time."

"You make that sound like a bad thing?" Xena and Ephiny both laughed. "Besides, with you as my sparring partner for the last season, how could I do anything but improve?" Gabrielle stood to leave.

"Well have fun and don't overdue it. You seemed a little stiff yesterday."

Gabrielle laughed. "Yeah well I was the one hanging over the lava pit earlier this week. That'd make anybody tense."

"Meet you here for lunch?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Try not to eat the entire food hut before I get here."

"Funny, real funny, just see if I save you anything good." Then she was gone.

Xena turned to see Ephiny watching her with a strange look on her face. "So, you seem completely recovered."

She shrugged. "Yeah, I am. And it looks the village is none the worse for wear either."

Ephiny chuckled. "We're hoping that things start to calm down now but with you two around who knows."

"Speaking of the two of us, I'd like to talk to you for a minute."

Ephiny leaned forward, her expression serious but open. "Sure, what's up?"

Xena felt a little silly asking Ephiny for permission to stay but she pushed on. "We'd like to stay for a few days, if that's all right." She twisted her hands together as she explained. "Gabrielle needs some rest, some time to get her balance back. This whole mess has bothered her a lot more than she's been letting on. I think we could both use some peace and quiet."

Ephiny sat up a little straighter and snorted softly. "Like she even needs to ask, like you need to ask, you're both welcome here whenever you might need a place to stay. She's our Queen and this will always be her home. You be sure to tell her that later."

"I will." She was pleasantly surprised by the open ended welcome.

"Anything else?"

She nodded, looking around a bit at the suddenly crowded hut. "It's kind of sensitive. Is there some place we can talk?"

Understanding, Ephiny stood. "Yeah, sure, follow me."

* * *

_We're leaving here tonight  
There's no need to tell anyone  
They'd only hold us down_

Ephiny led Xena to the throne room which was deserted at that time of day. "So, what's on your mind?" She indicated pull up a chair.

Xena sat down, her eyes never leaving Ephiny's face. "Gabrielle."

Ephiny did not seem surprised by the topic. "Oh?"

Xena leaned forward in her chair. "I need you to level with me Ephiny. When I died, how bad was it?"

Ephiny took a deep breath, letting it out in a rush and studied her hands before answering. "Xena, I'm not sure I'm the one to tell you…"

Xena held up her hand. "Ephiny, please I've tried asking her but she just blows me off, acts like there's nothing to it. She's hurting still, I can see it. She won't let me in and I don't know what to do."

Ephiny hesitated only a second longer. "She looked terrible. And not just because she wasn't sleeping she'd stopped eating too. I know it couldn't have been for long, but you know how she is. She just runs everything off and she had almost no reserves to start with. So it didn't take long for her to start looking bad. She was so gaunt, so frail looking. I was sure that a stiff breeze would knock her down."

Xena nodded. "I noticed that when I was fighting Valesca."

"We got her eating again by bullying her, hounding her and yelling at her. We got through somehow. But she was having the most horrific nightmares. She'd wake up screaming night after night. I don't think there was a single Amazon here that wasn't woken by her screams." Ephiny shuddered at the memory. "After the first time, she spooked everyone so bad, that I took to sleeping in her hut. When she woke from the nightmares, I'd hold her and let her cry it out. The first night that you were back was the first night that she's slept all the way through since you died."

Xena sighed hating the pain her friend was going through. Especially since it seemed the nightmares she'd been having since Perdicus' death had worsened. She'd been witness to that herself.

"If I'd known that I wouldn't have kept her up so late talking. I knew she was taking it hard but I had no idea she was taking it that hard. And she didn't really sleep through the night then either; she had a nightmare than too." Xena sighed, resting her head in her hands, trying to rub the tension out of her head.

Ephiny reached out, touching her arm. "Don't beat yourself up over it Xena, you couldn't have known."

Xena shrugged. "Habit."

"Well, she should be all right now." She pulled her hand back. "You're back now."

Xena nodded. "About that, I just wanted to say, thanks for your help. I don't think we could have done it without you."

Ephiny waved a hand at her. "No need Xena. You've helped us out when we needed it and you helped me. I'd say we're even."

Xena shrugged, pressing on. "Still. And thanks for taking care of Gabrielle. I'm glad she had someone to turn to."

Ephiny smiled slightly. "She's easy to care for isn't she?"

Xena nodded. "Yeah, she is."

Ephiny reached out, touching her arm once more. "Just do us a favor."

Xena looked at her wryly. "What's that?"

"Don't die on her again for awhile all right?" Her tone was light, but her face was set in serious lines.

Suddenly somber, Xena nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

For Disclaimers see Ch. 1

Feedback at Go

By

Bobbie Halchishak

* * *

_So by the morning light  
We'll be halfway to anywhere  
Where love is more than just your name_

Gabrielle wandered up to the practice yard which was surprisingly empty except for one lone figure. She stood there a moment watching Eponin practice her staff forms with fluid grace and precision. Seeing her move, Gabrielle could well understand why she'd been chosen to be weapons master to the Amazons despite her young age.

Eponin executed a final sweep, spinning around and coming to a stop facing the young queen. She let her staff fall, drawing in several deep quick breaths, bowing slightly. "Queen Gabrielle, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Please Eponin, I don't really stand on formality." Gabrielle strode up to her, holding up her hands, a slight smile on her face at the other woman's use of her title.

"Of course my queen." Eponin nodded, resting her staff against the ground.

Gabrielle chuckled, her smile growing. Of all the Amazons, Eponin was the most reserved with her and often the toughest nut to crack. "Really Eponin, you can call me Gabrielle. As a matter of fact I insist."

Eponin smiled slightly, a bit unsure but willing to give it a whirl. "All right, so Gabrielle, what can I do for you?"

"Well, Xena's busy with Ephiny right now and I don't have a lot to do, so I thought maybe I'd take you up on your offer to spar." Gabrielle walked over to a nearby weapons wrack, looking over the staffs leaning against it. She grabbed one, thumped it against the ground a couple of times and turned to face the dark-haired weapons master.

Eponin shrugged as she stepped into the center of the practice yard. "Sounds good to me." She twirled her staff a few times a sudden memory of the last time Gabrielle had been in the village coming to her. "I promise to go easy on you. I know you haven't been practicing for long." She took her stance and waited for Gabrielle to join her.

Smirking, Gabrielle took her place. "You might want to rethink that one. Don't forget who I've been traveling with for the past year. She's been a great sparring partner."

Eponin paused in thought as she was reminded of the tall, dark and deadly woman who was the young queen's friend. "Point taken, shall we?"

With a wicked smile Gabrielle nodded and launched the first series against her opponent.

* * *

_I have dreamt of a place for you and I  
No one knows who we are there_

After their talk, Xena left Ephiny alone in the throne room and found herself wandering around the village a bit. Looking for something to occupy her until she needed to go collect Gabrielle from her sparring practice, she let her feet and her mind wander as she walked.

And just as they had that morning, her thoughts drifted back over the events of the past several days. Despite the severity of the situation they'd found themselves in, Xena could not help but chuckle as she recalled the sheer persistence displayed by the demented newly born goddess. That was what had saved them in the end really. Valesca had been far too single minded, far too focused on her thirst for revenge to see the canyon closing in around her. The fury of her rage had blinded her to nearly everything around her.

All that mattered to her in the end was finding and killing Gabrielle. Everything else paled in comparison to that driving need. Because somewhere along the line, her ambition to revive the Amazon nation to its former glory had changed and festered into a seething, hateful need to see it burning at her feet.

Xena supposed it was the woman's brush with death that changed her. It was possible; after all she had seen far stranger things happen. But it seemed far more likely that Valesca's violent transformation into a goddess, being pulled from the very brink of death itself, somehow snapped her already fragile mind. Whatever its cause, that insanity, that touch of chaos that entered her mind gave them the advantage they desperately needed to defeat her.

Of course it had helped that everyone involved had played their part to the letter. Almost as if they were following a script she'd written for them. Somehow despite the complex and convoluted nature of her plan, it had played out without a hitch. And the end result had been far more pleasing to all involved than Xena could have hoped for.

Valseca and Callisto were both trapped, bound to fight each other in the midst of their molten prison until the end of time. In Xena's mind, two threats had been removed with one fell swoop.

Xena was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of running feet and her name being loudly yelled from behind her. She stopped, turning to face Altara, the Amazon healer.

"Xena, I'm glad I found you." The slightly shorter woman stopped in front of her, her face worried.

A twinge of fear cut through her and Xena resisted the urge to grab the woman and shake her. "Is everything all right? Has something happened to Gabrielle?" She kept her tone as light and neutral as possible.

Altara shook her head, seemingly unsurprised at Xena's questions. "It's not the queen. I need your help."

Xena mentally breathed a sigh of relief as she nodded. "What's the problem?"

Altara indicated that Xena should come with her and the two of them fell into step as they walked back through the center of the village.

"The scouts on the western border brought a woman in with a very strange illness. I've never seen it before; I was hoping you might know what it is." Her voice was tinged with fear; all they needed now was an epidemic sweeping through the village.

Xena nodded suddenly all business, the unspoken message of a possible outbreak getting through loud and clear. "Tell me about her, maybe I'll figure it out by the time we get there." And they hurried off towards the healing hut and the new patient.

* * *

Almost an hour later, Xena left the healing hut much relieved. Where before she and Altara had feared outbreak of an unknown illness, they now knew was a simple case of accidental poisoning. Xena knew it the moment she began examining the strange woman; she'd seen it several times before. So she gave a list of explicit instructions with the Amazon healer for administering the antidote and left her in Altara's capable hands.

Free once more and having managed to kill a great deal of time, Xena decided to go to the practice yard and collect Gabrielle for lunch. As she walked up, she noticed that there was quite a crowd surrounding the yard. She smirked slightly as she realized that Gabrielle and Eponin's sparring match was the likely reason for the audience.

She pushed her way to a clear spot in the crowd where she had a good view of the practice yard and its two occupants. She stood there a moment, simply watching the young bard expertly maneuver Eponin around the yard, looking for the chance to take her down and disarm her.

From the look of concentration on both women's faces and the amount of sweat flying off of them, Xena guessed that they had been going at it for awhile. She crossed her arms over her chest, watching the bard's performance closely.

She had improved a great deal in the past year. Her movements were sure and precise and at least two steps ahead of Eponin's. That had been the hardest skill of all for her to acquire, to think ahead of her opponent, to anticipate their next moves.

When it came to verbal sparring, the bard had no equal; at least none that Xena had ever seen. The young woman was beyond gifted in that arena, she could talk an Amazon out of her feathers if she really tried. But physically, well that was a different story.

When they first began sparring together, she admired Gabrielle's persistence and determination to learn but that pride had been overshadowed by worry. Before Gabrielle's adoption into the tribe, she had been merely a peasant girl, nothing for a soldier or warrior to find threat with. But when she began carrying her staff, an obvious weapon, she changed from a simple peasant girl to a threat.

And that had caused Xena a great deal of anxiety in the beginning, something she would never admit to anyone; not even Gabrielle. Before, she merely had to keep track of Gabrielle to keep her safe. But once the young woman was considered a threat, it made her job much harder. She was not only forced to keep track of Gabrielle and her opponent, but to also keep an eye on Gabrielle while she fought, on the off chance that Gabrielle found herself in over her head; which in the beginning had been quite often.

Xena smiled as Gabrielle executed a reverse sweep and knocked Eponin off her feet before following through with a hold to the throat. Now, that was no longer such a problem.

Xena walked towards the two women as the other Amazons slowly began walking away. "She's good, isn't she?" She said loudly as Gabrielle backed off, releasing the hold.

Eponin frowned slightly as Gabrielle offered her a hand up. She took it, dusting herself off as she stood. "Yeah, she's improved a lot." She gave Xena a rueful grin. "I forgot who's she's been traveling with."

Gabrielle and Xena both laughed. "Yeah, we get that a lot." Xena looked at Gabrielle, crossing her arms over her chest, smirking slightly. "Are you done beating up on the other Amazons?" She lifted an eyebrow in the bard's direction.

Gabrielle chuckled. "Yeah, is it lunch time yet?" Her stomach took that moment to give a soft growl.

Xena chuckled and threw her arm across the young woman's shoulders, leading her away from the practice yard as she smiled. "Close enough, let's go see what we can find." As they walked away, Xena spoke up, loud enough for her voice to drift back to Eponin.. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to play nice?" She heard a faint chuckle from behind them as Gabrielle softly slapped her side.

"I play nice with you don't I?" Her tone was indignant and teasing.

Xena laughed. "Only because you can't beat the tar out of me yet."

Gabrielle wound her arm around Xena's waist, leaning into the taller woman slightly as she snorted. "Give me enough time and I think I can give even you a run for your money, oh Warrior Princess."

Xena laughed loudly giving the young woman a one armed hug as she led her off to feed her bottomless pit.

* * *

_All I want is to give my life only to you  
I've dreamt so long I cannot dream anymore  
Let's run away, I'll take you there_

A short time later, after they had stopped at the queen's hut for Gabrielle to wash up a bit, they walked into the food hut to find Ephiny and Eponin already there.

Ephiny looked up as they approached, smiling a bit. "Hey guys."

Gabrielle smiled at them as they walked up to the table. "Hey Ephiny, Eponin. Mind if we join you?" She asked even as she grabbed an empty glass of water and took a deep drink.

Eponin snorted slightly, waving her hand. "Help yourself."

Xena gently pushed Gabrielle onto the bench. "Take a seat your majesty, I'll get the grub." She walked off.

Gabrielle sat down across from the regnant and the weapons master, cradling her half empty glass in her hands.

Ephiny grabbed a nearby pitcher and refilled Gabrielle's glass knowing full well just how thirsty the young queen was after her extended staff bout with Eponin. "Did you have a nice sparring session Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle nodded, taking another deep drink. "Yeah I did." She gave Eponin a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that last hit Eponin."

Eponin waved off her apologies. "No worries; I'm sure I'll get sensation back into my backside before the day is out." She reached out to rub the afore mentioned body part

Ephiny and Gabrielle laughed at the weapons master's pained expression. Xena's return interrupted their laughter as she walked up to the table with several plates, each heaped with food. There was silence around the table as she set the plates down in front of Gabrielle. Setting down the last plate, she slid onto the bench next to her friend.

Ephiny eyed the amount of food on the table and gave Xena a long, appraising look. "A little hungry are you Xena?"

Xena snorted, snagging an apple. "Hardly; this isn't for me." She waved her hand over the large amount of food on the table. "Here you go Gabrielle, a feast fit for an Amazon queen." After her talk with Eponin, she was bound and determined that Gabrielle regain what she'd lost in the past several days.

Eponin looked at the plates in shock. "You're not really going to eat all that are you Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle smiled but before she could speak, her stomach gave a loud growl. There was stunned silence around the table.

Xena chuckled. "If she doesn't we might have to fight the beast she calls a stomach."

Everyone but Gabrielle began laughing. For a moment she was surprised by the teasing display, somewhat disconcerted that Xena was displaying a side of herself that the Amazons had likely never seen. But something inside her urged her to follow her instincts and she decided to play along.

She snorted slightly and she jabbed a thumb in Xena's direction. "Hey you try keeping up with long legs Mcgee over here and see how much you eat in a day."

Xena snorted. "You'd walk fast too if you heard that thing growling behind you. Half the time I'm afraid you're going to eat me." Ephiny and Eponin were both laughing loudly at this point. Xena continued. "And don't blame this one on me, according to your sister, you came out of the womb like that. Family legend has it that you could swallow a sheep whole by the time you were two."

The two Amazons lost it completely, leaning heavily against the table as they laughed at the annoyed expression on their queen's face.

After a few moments, the laughter trailed off as Eponin stood. "Well seeing as how Gabrielle has half the food hut at the table, I guess I better get over there and get my share before she goes back for the rest of it."

Ephiny stood, still chuckling. "Same here."

"You better hurry, my stomach thinks my mouth is on strike here." Gabrielle yelled after them. She turned to Xena. "Is it pick on Gabrielle day and no one told me?"

Xena scoffed, shaking her head. "Nah that's next week."

Gabrielle began eating slowly as she laughed. "So you're a comedian now too huh? Swallow a sheep whole, where do you come up with this stuff?"

Xena shrugged. "I just call 'em like I see 'em."

"Huh."

Xena watched the young woman eating. "So I take it you had a good sparring session."

Gabrielle nodded. "Yeah, I did. Although I think I surprised Eponin."

Xena chuckled. "Yeah, I saw you knock her flat. I can't believe she fell for that reverse sweep like that."

Gabrielle shook her head chuckling herself. "I know; you never do."

Xena finished her apple and grabbed something else from a nearby plate. "Then why do you keep using it?"

Gabrielle smiled slightly. "Cause not everyone I fight is you."

Xena shrugged, watching Eponin and Ephiny come back. "Point taken."

The two Amazons set their plates down and for several long moments there was silence around the table as they ate. The three of them finished after only a short time and turn to watch as Gabrielle continued eating.

Eponin watched in Amazement as Gabrielle cleared another plate and turned her attention to the final one. "A dinar says her stomach explodes before she finishes that last plate."

Ephiny chuckles. "Make it two and you're on."

Gabrielle paused long enough to give them both a hard look. "Look I know you guys are hard up for entertainment sometimes but betting on your queen, how cheap can you get?"

For a moment they both looked well and truly chastised. But the look was ruined when Xena broke in. "Five says she can finish the entire plate and still eat dessert."

Gabrielle looked at the taller woman in disgust. "Hey whose side are you on?"

Xena shrugged. "The winning side; I've got a sure thing here."

Gabrielle refilled her glass. "You shouldn't encourage them."

There was a loud snort from Xena as she took another drink. "Who said anything about encouraging them, I'm trying to make us a little travel money here."

Gabrielle leaned over, looking deep into Xena's eyes examining them closely, Ephiny and Eponin forgotten for the moment. "Are you feeling okay? Did talking with Ephiny this morning cause some internal bleeding or something?" She laid her hand on Xena's forehead feeling for fever.

Xena smacked her hands away. "Hey, hey, hands off the merchandise. Concentrate on your lunch; you've got a bet to win."

The two Amazons looked on in amusement, both marveling at the close teasing friendship their queen shared with this deadly ex-warlord.

"I don't know why I let you talk me into these things." Gabrielle muttered softly, turning her attention back to her plate.

Xena smirked. "Cause they're fun."

Gabrielle continued eating. "I was thinking more along the lines of mental instability."

"Yours or mine?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "Does it really matter?"

Xena shook her head. "At the moment, no." She thought for a moment. "We could take turns."

"Fine, you finish this week, I'll take next week." Gabrielle took a final bite, chewing with relish.

Xena looked over the empty plates critically, pleased and somewhat surprised by the amount of food the bard had eaten. "So have you had enough now? If not, I'm sure they've got a few chickens in the back they might have overlooked. Or better yet, we can send out an emergency hunting party."

"If she's staying with us for awhile, that might not be a bad idea." Ephiny spoke up from across the table.

Gabrielle ignored her regent, giving Xena a sheepish look. "Well, I could use something sweet."

Xena stood, holding her hand out to Eponin. Scowling slightly, Eponin dug out 5 dinars and slapped them into the taller woman's hand. Xena tucked them away and went to grab something sweet for her traveling companion. After a moment, she came back with some berries and a dumpling stuffed with some kind of red filling.

Gabrielle grabbed the plate, stuffing a dumpling in her mouth. Looking as if she were a starving woman having her first bite of food in weeks rather than the well-fed bard they all knew she was.

Her eyes closed in as she chewed the dumpling, humming in pleasure. "By the gods, Xena you have to try these, they're fantastic." She held one out for the warrior.

Xena, without thinking simply leaned forward and took the morsel from Gabrielle's hand with her mouth, chomping it with relish. She munched on it for a moment. "These are good; we should get the recipe." She looked over at Ephiny and Eponin who were staring at her with the strangest expressions on their faces. "What?"

Ephiny shook her head, nudging Eponin under the table and gave the warrior a smile. "Nothing." She turned her attention to the bard. "So Gabrielle, are you ready to help me this afternoon?"

Gabrielle nodded, finishing the last bite of food. "Sure thing Ephiny, I'm ready whenever you are." She looked at her companion. "What are you going to do this afternoon Xena?"

She shrugged. "Don't know yet. Thought I might take Argo out for a nice long ride; we've got some catching up to do."

Eponin spoke up. "If you're looking for something to do, we really were planning on hunting this afternoon. You're more than welcome to join us Xena."

Xena shrugged. "Sure why not."

"At least this way you can ensure we get enough food to feed starving Marvin here." Eponin laughed as she jabbed a finger in Gabrielle's direction.

"Hey!"

Xena let out a deep breath, leaning across the table her voice low and serious. "That's a tough job Eponin. Are you sure you're up for it?"

Eponin bowed slightly, hand over fist. "Anything for the queen."

Gabrielle started laughing despite herself. "Now that the two of you are done smearing my good name, Ephiny and I will be leaving now." She stood, leaning over speaking softly into Xena's ear. "Try not to make them look too bad okay? I don't want to be smoothing ruffled feathers all afternoon."

Xena gave a soft sight, her eyes twinkling. "Ruin all my fun why don't you."

Gabrielle touched her shoulder. "Xena."

Xena reached up to touch the bard's hand, squeezing it. "Alright, alright, no promises, but I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." Gabrielle reached up and ruffled her hair slightly as she walked away to join Ephiny.

* * *

_We're leaving here tonight  
There's no need to tell anyone  
They'd only hold us down_

Over an hour later, Ephiny and Gabrielle sat in throne room still discussing the treaties and going over other issues that needed to be dealt with within the next few days.

Ephiny leaned back feeling the tension in her neck and shoulders. She stretched a bit as she gazed over at Gabrielle and decided a break was in order. She also decided that it was time she got some information out of her friend too.

She set her parchment aside as she turned her attention to the young queen, her mind wandering back to what she witnessed at lunch. "So you and Xena seem…okay."

Gabrielle sat back, stretching a bit herself as she smiled. "I'm really glad to have her back Ephiny. I was really lost without her."

Ephiny touched her arm lightly. "I could tell. And for what it's worth Gabrielle, I'm glad she's back too." She stood and went to a small side table to grab something to drink. She brought Gabrielle a full glass as well.

Gabrielle smiled as she took the cup, regarding her friend. "I wanted to thank you for helping me, giving me a place to stay."

"Gabrielle, this is your home. You're our Queen. More than that, you're my friend. You will always have a place here." Ephiny sat back down, trying to hide the exasperation the young queen's words caused.

Gabrielle studied her cup for several minutes as she waited for the lump in her throat to subside. "I realize that now. I'm sorry things got so difficult."

Ephiny chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Besides we have a theory on that one."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, we're calling it the Gabrielle effect." She chuckled again an impish light in her eye.

Gabrielle laughed ruefully knowing full well what Ephiny was referring to. "I do seem to attract trouble sometimes don't I?"

Ephiny snorted. "Sometimes?"

"Okay, okay quite a lot actually." Gabrielle allowed. "But Xena always seems to be there to bail me out. Even when she's…" she trailed off the light dying in her eyes as the memory of those horrible days came back to her.

Ephiny, winced at the pained expression on Gabrielle's face and reached out, squeezing her hand again. "Gabrielle, you did great on your own you know. And everything's fine now. She's alive and she's here."

Gabrielle looked at her, unshed tears shining bright in her eyes as the emotions became overwhelming. "I know that Ephiny. But sometimes, I'm afraid that it's just a dream and I have to remind myself that it's real.

"Sometimes I close my eyes and I can still see it. I'm back on that gods be damned mountain watching her die, begging her to come back. And I'm afraid to open my eyes and see her coffin lying next to me." She sniffled slightly her voice trailing off as she tried to bury the pain and loss she stillfelt at Xena's death.

Ephiny reached out and embraced Gabrielle. "Oh Gabrielle." She released the younger woman slowly.

Gabrielle reached up, brushing the tears off her face. "It's not so bad at night, because she's there and she chases the nightmares away. But sometimes during the day when she's gone, I can still feel it, still see it." She shuddered as the dark memories rolled over her.

Ephiny walked back over to the side table and grabbed a cloth and offered it to the bard. "Have you talked to Xena about this?"

Gabrielle shook her head. "I don't know if I can."

"Why not?" Ephiny couldn't hide her surprise. The two of them seemed so close, it seemed strange to think that there was something Gabrielle couldn't discuss with the dark warrior.

Gabrielle hesitated for several moments before speaking. This was something she'd hoped to discuss with Xena but they simply hadn't gotten around to it. Now, she was being given the chance to discuss it with someone else and she found herself suddenly desperate to do just that.

"Something strange happened between us while she was dead. And I don't know what to make of it."

Ephiny sat next to her again. "What do you mean?"

Gabrielle took a deep breath, releasing it in a rush. "When she was in Autolycous's body, she told me to close my eyes and think of her. So I did and it was like, it was like she took me to wherever she was. And she was standing there telling me to get the ambrosia.

"And I was upset and crying and asking her why she left me. She smiled at me and told me she'd always be there for me. And then she kissed me." She reached up to touch her lips gently at the memory.

"She kissed you?" Ephiny repeated wanting to be sure she understood.

Gabrielle nodded her eyes still thoughtful and distant. "But I'm not really sure if it was her or not. Because when I came back to myself I was kissing Autolycous. I haven't asked her about it. I thought maybe it was me, making up stuff because I was upset, I don't know. But then things happen, and I wonder." She knew she was rambling but she didn't care.

"Gabrielle…"

Gabrielle ignored her and kept talking. "I want to believe it was real, I want so much for it to be real but I don't know if it was. And I know, if I ask her about it she'll deny it; just like she did the first time."

Again Ephiny couldn't hide her surprise. "The first time?"

The question seemed to pull Gabrielle back into the present and she looked at Ephiny. "You heard that she destroyed Bacchus right?" Ephiny nodded. "Before she killed him, I was turned into a bacchae. Xena had to destroy Bacchus to free me and the only way to could do it was if she became a bacchae. So, I bit her."

"You turned her into a bacchae?"

Gabrielle smiled at the puzzled expression on the regent's face. "Ephiny, if you keep repeating everything I say, I'll never finish. I _am_ trying to make a point here."

Ephiny threw her hands in the air feeling just a bit frustrated. Getting information out of the normally talkative bard was proving to be very difficult. "You just keep throwing things at me from out of no where, it's hard to keep up."

Gabrielle chuckled slightly. "Well to answer your question, yes, I did."

Ephiny nodded. "Then what happened?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "She destroyed Bacchus and all the woman under his spell were freed, including the two of us."

Ephiny waited but Gabrielle remained silent. "Why do I think I'm missing something very important here?"

Gabrielle smiled slightly. "Because you are."

Ephiny threw her hands in the air in frustration resisting the urge to start tearing her hair out. "Care to share the rest of it with me? I can't help if I don't have enough information."

Gabrielle sighed. "I'm not trying to be evasive, It's just a little personal that's all." She was quiet for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts, remembering what the experience had been like. "When I bit her, when I turned her into a bacchae, it was like I was part of her. I could feel her breathing, hear her heartbeat and I felt everything she was feeling."

"That must have been strange."

Gabrielle nodded, it had been strange but strangely comforting as well. "A bit but it was also kind of nice. I got to see a side of her no one else ever has. The first thing I remember feeling is that she was afraid she might be able to save me. That somehow she'd end up failing and we'd both be trapped as Bacchus' playthings."

"But that didn't happen." Ephiny began to understand.

Gabrielle shook her head. "No, it didn't."

Ephiny looked at the bard closely, touching her arm again. "Gabrielle, what else did you feel?"

Gabrielle sighed deciding to let go and finally admit out loud what she had felt in that moment. "She's in love with me, so much so that it made my heart ache to feel it." She took a deep breath feeling tears sting her eyes again. "Up until that moment, I'd always wondered you know. There were so many things that didn't make sense until then. Why she let me follow her, why she put up with me even when I screwed up and nearly got us both killed and why she was so upset when I nearly died."

She sighed again, pulling herself together. "But then I asked her about it and she denied it, made a joke out of it to save me from being hurt. I didn't have the heart to drag the truth out of her."

Ephiny couldn't help but hear the hope and frustration in the queen's voice. Suddenly several things clicked for her. The quiet meaningful glances when they thought neither one was looking, the casual easy touching between them that bordered on something more, the display in the dining hall. "Gabrielle, do you love her?"

Ephiny's soft tone nearly brought her to tears again and she nodded wordlessly swallowing against the lump in her throat. "Yes I do. I've been in love with her for awhile now." And as she admitted it she felt a great deal of weight lift off her shoulders.

"You need to tell her." Ephiny told her quietly but firmly.

Gabrielle nodded. "I know that I should but I can't bring myself to say it to her." Even as she spoke, all the doubts, all the reasons she gave herself for keeping it to herself came to the surface. "I can't seem to take that last step. Because once I take it, it'll change everything between us." She let out a quiet, heavy breath as she admitted the truth of her worst fear. "I'm not sure if I'm brave enough for that." Her softly spoken words were nearly inaudible in the large room.

Ephiny gave a sharp bark of laughter at that. "Not brave enough? Have you been paying attention to the past several days?" Ephiny looked at her as if she didn't recognize the other woman. "You faced down Valesca and her entire faction to claim the Queen's mask. You threw yourself onto Xena's burning casket to rescue her body. And you let yourself be used as bait to trap Valesca in a burning lava pit just a few days ago. I don't know about you but those don't sound like the actions of a coward to me."

Gabrielle knew Ephiny was right but she was still so afraid. "How do I tell her? Do I just blurt it out, do I just let the words fly out of my mouth, what? What if I say them and she doesn't understand what I mean? I know she loves me, I've known since I turned her into a bacchae. But telling her…I'm in over my head here Ephiny." Gabrielle ran her hands through her hair, resisting the urge to pull on it as her frustration mounted.

Ephiny rolled her eyes. "And she claims to be a bard."

"Not really helping." Gabrielle hissed.

Ephiny chuckled softly. "Sorry I couldn't resist." She sobered a bit and looked at Gabrielle as she spoke. "Look, I'm not a poet. I don't claim to know the words that you need to tell her how you feel. But I do know that if you listen to your heart, and you follow it, it'll never steer you wrong. Just let go Gabrielle; the rest will just fall into place."

"And she claims she's not a poet. That was pretty damned poetic Ephiny." Gabrielle said softly, surprised at the softer side Ephiny had just shown her.

Ephiny shushed her a bit. "Don't spread it around, I do have a reputation after all."

Gabrielle smiled unable to resist a dig of her own. "Well you wouldn't if you'd make an honest woman out of Eponin."

Ephiny's face paled as she looked at the queen in sheer panic. "Who in Hades have you been talking to? I swear by Are's balls, I'll string up the lot of 'em." Her face reddened as she pondered who to hunt down first.

Laughing out loud, Gabrielle touched her arm. "Take it easy Eph, it was just a joke. By the gods, a little sensitive aren't we?" Ephiny grumbled softly and Gabrielle laughed again. "Well, it was just a hunch, something Eponin said during our sparring match today. I think it's wonderful. I hoped you'd find someone again after Phantes."

Ephiny sighed. "I appreciate that Gabrielle, really I do. But we're trying to keep it quiet for a while, okay. So keep it to yourself."

"If it gets around, it won't be because of me." She gave Ephiny a quick hug, feeling fresh tears at the realization of just what Ephiny had done for her over the past several days. "And thanks Eph, for listening I mean."

Ephiny smiled returning the hug. "No problem." She felt tears stinging her eyes at the gesture and pulled away. She grabbed the discarded treaty while wiping at her face. "Now, how are we coming with that damned hunting rights treaty?"


	3. Chapter 3

For Disclaimers, see Ch 1

Feedback is welcome at Go

By

Bobbie Halchishak

* * *

_So by the morning light  
We'll be halfway to anywhere  
Where no one needs a reason_

Xena walked through the woods with Eponin as they followed the small hunting party deeper into the forest and away from the village. "So what are we hunting for today?"

Eponin shrugged. "Whatever we catch I guess. Wood fowl hasn't been too good lately, but there are plenty of rabbits around to make up for that. And Solari mentioned that the perimeter guards saw a small herd of deer move into our territory the other day so we set up some bait piles nearby; we're going to check those today." Eponin stopped walking as the hunting party began looking around quietly for sign. "Who knows maybe we'll get lucky."

"Well, if we don't get anything hunting, there's always fish." Xena watched the other Amazons moving quietly through the woods, leaving her alone with the weapons master.

Eponin nodded; they hadn't had fish in quite a while. "That sounds good; could always use fresh trout for the kitchens."

A dark brow arched at the word trout. "Is the fishing good?"

"The fishing's always good." Eponin did not see the need to tell her that the stream was full of big, wily old trout that often refused to take a bait, no matter the season.

Xena nodded. "Sounds like my kind of thing. Why don't you guys check out the bait piles; I'll be fishing." She took a couple of steps but Eponin's voice stopped her.

"You know you're more than welcome to come with us; we could always use another set of eyes." She waved at the distant Amazons, still scouting for prey.

Xena looked at the other Amazons, ensuring they were out of earshot. "I appreciate that Eponin, I do. But I don't want to step on any toes today." She titled her head to the rest of the hunting party. "You guys fill the larder, I'm gonna feed the queen."

Eponin chuckled. "Seems like you've got the harder job."

Again a dark brow arched wryly. "You have no idea." She turned to go, actually managing to get a short distance away before Eponin stopped her again.

"Hey Xena?"

Xena turned. "Yeah?"

Eponin stood there, scuffing her feet. "She's really glad to have you back you know." There was no need for Eponin to say just who she was talking about.

Xena nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I do."

Eponin took a couple of steps closer, dropping her voice so that Xena was the only one to hear her. "And just so you know, so are the rest of us."

Surprised by the sentiment and somewhat touched, Xena was speechless for a moment. She reached out and grabbed Eponin's arm in a tight grip, clasping it firmly, feeling the weapons master return the gesture.

"Thanks Poni." She dropped the weapons master's arm and smiled slightly as she walked away from the shorter Amazon, heading towards the nearby stream. Stripping off her armor and her boots, she waded barefoot into the water, already seeing several large shadows that promised some fruitful fishing. Gabrielle would eat well later.

She leaned over the water, extending her senses, stilling herself, slowing her breathing, becoming part of the river around her, hoping to fool the fish into coming closer. She stayed that way for several moments, patient as death and nearly as still.

Then, slowly a nearby shadow drifted closer, until it was well within reach and still she hesitated, waiting for the right moment to strike. When it came, she lashed out, her movements lightening fast as she reached into the water, wrapping her powerful hands around the gills of the fish and flinging it onto shore.

It flopped on the bank for several moments and then lay still, panting as she turned her attention back to the water. The shadows moved slowly, rearranging themselves as they realized that one of their number was gone. A few short moments later and the first fish was joined by a second.

Xena stood there for nearly an hour, losing herself in the simple joy of fishing. She often fished while on the road with Gabrielle; but it wasn't often that she was allowed to fish to her hearts content. Truth be told, she didn't enjoy catching the fish nearly as much as she enjoyed the time to herself in the water as she let her mind wander.

She caught one last fish but hesitated to throw it on the bank with the others. She looked at it for a moment, studying it and the pile on the bank and decided she had caught plenty for the day. She let the fish go, watching its shadow disappear downstream.

As she waded towards shore, a rustling in the bushes caught her eye and she went still, not wanting to scare the small animal away. A few seconds later a golden red hare popped into view, heading to the river to get a drink of water. She smiled slightly as she watched it hop and bound to the waters edge and take a deep drink.

"You'd better not let Eponin see you or you'll end up in the stew pot in the village." She spoke quietly and watched in amusement as its large ears perked up.

It stilled for only a moment before bending down to take another drink. It turned, seeming to stare right at the warrior and for the first time, Xena noticed that its eyes were milky white, blind and useless. Several moments of silence stretched out between human and rabbit, then, just as quietly as it came, it turned and was gone.

Xena stared at the spot for a moment in wonder, amazed by the encounter. She began stringing her catch to make them easier to carry back to the village, the rabbit still much on her mind. She smiled slightly, recalling its unusual color which reminded her of a certain bardic friend and traveling companion.

Very few creatures survived being different in nature; most animals abhorred and avoided anything that appeared different. Those that did survive often led a very lonely, solitary existence. And very few creatures survived being blind in the wild; even fewer thrived as it appeared the rabbit had managed to do and she wondered at that.

Maybe it was the hare's coloring that prompted her next line of thinking, maybe it was contemplating just how cruel and unfair the world was but suddenly Xena found herself thinking of Gabrielle and their travels together; comparing that harsh reality to that of the blind hare's and wondering just how her friend had managed to not only survive, but thrive as well. For them, it seemed that things never were very easy.

They'd been traveling together for nearly two years now. Two years of hardship and chaos, bad weather and sleeping on the ground. Two years of fighting day in and day out and never knowing more than a moment's peace. Two years of dodging bounty hunters, assassins and ruthless warlords all intent on bringing her down to further their own morbid and bloody reputations.

But not all of it was bad and dark, there was also light and wonder found in two years of staring at the stars arguing over the pictures they made. Two years of quiet talks beside the campfire, both of them sharing hopes and dreams for the future. Two years of shared meals, long debates of ridiculous theories, laughter, friendship and joy.

And somewhere along the line, they'd become something so much more than friends, so much more than family. They'd become a part of each other's lives, both of them vital to the survival and well being of the other. And she had nearly thrown that all away in a blind and misguided attempt to keep from hurting her friend even more. Never realizing that in doing so she would cause the bard more pain and hardship than if she'd just fought to stay alive in the first place.

She pulled on her boots and armor, settling her sword across her shoulders, realizing for the first time just what it was that had been bothering her since her return to the land of the living. She never realized just how her death would affect the one person left in the world she let inside without reservation; never gave a thought to it, until it was too late and she was listening to Gabrielle's tears from across the void

But then she was given a miracle and she'd been resurrected, defying the gods and the fates to return to the world of the living. Xena sighed quietly to herself and pondered that thought a moment. Never in her life had she ever expected that turn of events. Oh to be sure she had fully expected death to find her one day.

Dying was to be expected in her line of work after all. Given the number of enemies she'd made over the years, she was amazed it had taken as long as it had to catch up to her. And she had ended up exactly where she expected to be too, burning in Tartarus for her crimes as a warlord.

But she had never expected to have the chance to come back. Or that her death would affect Gabrielle as it had. She had expected grief and tears to be sure. But not the emptiness and utter devastation she'd felt in the bard's thoughts. Nothing could have prepared her for the pain it caused her or the guilt. So she'd listened when M'Lia told her she was still needed.

She told herself that she had come back to keep fighting for the greater good, justifying it with the thought that people needed someone like her to fight the evils of the world. Someone who was willing to stand up and take the risks and make the hard decisions that kept the weak and vulnerable from falling victim to a darkness and violence that they had no hope of understanding let alone fighting.

But now, in the broad light of day with plenty of time to think instead of act, she wondered just who she was fooling. Dying had brought a sense of clarity about her own heart that she had not allowed herself in life. She knew deep within her soul she'd come back for one reason and one reason only: because Gabrielle asked her to.

Hearing the bard's heartfelt words pleading with her to fight, to come back had given her the strength and the purpose to do what needed to be done, to find a way. The very idea of failing Gabrielle had nearly broken her heart. She couldn't stand the thought of listening to the pain and grief in Gabrielle's thoughts if she didn't make it.

Once she admitted that to herself, she'd finally admitted and accepted that she was hopelessly and completely in love with the Amazon Queen. And she wasn't going to rest or stop until she'd found a way to come back and tell the bard that herself.

But there never seemed to be any chance. The timing never seemed right and then Valesca had returned creating her own havoc. By the time the smoke cleared from that debacle, they were busy rebuilding the village. Even that morning, as calm as it had been for them, seemed an ill time to bring up such an important and life altering subject.

Xena sighed loudly, throwing her catch over her shoulder as she began walking back to the village. The need to reveal her feelings to the bard was making her twitchy; especially since she no longer had rebuilding the village to occupy her.

It was time she stopped fighting, herself, her doubts her fears, everything. It was time for her to simply let go and finally admit to Gabrielle how she felt, no more running, no more hesitating. She would walk Into the village, grab the bard and drag her some place private and finally lay it all on the line.

Satisfied at the simple yet straight forward plan, Xena shifted the catch on her shoulders and began whistling quietly as she walked back to the village.

* * *

Gabrielle left Ephiny soon after they resolved the final issues on the hunting rights treaty with one of their neighbors. She stood outside the ceremonial hut for a few moments, stretching away some of the tension that had built in her in the past hours she had spent with the regent. But some of it still lingered. 

Deciding that she had plenty of time to kill before the hunting party returned with Xena, she walked towards their hut to get some things for a nice long, hot bath. Her things gathered, she headed towards the communal bathing hut.

She walked into the steamy room, finding a corner bench to place her things and her clothes before stripping and climbing into an occupied bathing pool. As the hot water surrounded her, she sighed feeling it sooth away the aches and pains from her staff bout with Eponin.

She closed her eyes, feeling the tension of the past several days flowing out of her as she soaked her worries away. She must have dozed off because one moment she was alone in the bathing hut and in the next she was being shaken away by a young Amazon.

"Queen Gabrielle?"

She jerked a bit in the tub, looking up at the touch of someone's hand on her arm. "Yes?"

The younger Amazon smiled slightly. "I am sorry my Queen but we did not want to disturb you. But we were afraid you might drown."

Gabrielle smiled as she slid up a bit. "No, it's alright, I guess I just fell asleep."

"Do you mind if we join you?"

Gabrielle looked behind her, seeing several other young Amazons and she shook her head. "No, please feel free."

In a few moments, there were several Amazons in the large bathing pool talking quietly while she continued relaxing quietly. After a few moments the quiet chatter stopped and a heavy silence fell over the group.

Gabrielle opened her eyes to see them sitting on the other side of the pool, quietly trying not to stare in her direction.

"Is everything all right?"

One of the girls, braver than the others moved closer to the bard. "We were hoping we could ask you something." Her voice was shy and she blushed slightly.

For a moment Gabrielle was fearful of what they might ask, but she pushed it aside and nodded at the young girl.

"Of course you can ask me anything." The answering grin from the young girl did not make her feel better.

* * *

Xena strode into the village, heading directly to the dining hut to hand her catch off to the cooks there. The cooks gawked at the size and number of trout she caught.

"These are some beautiful fish Xena. Where in Artemis's name did you catch them?" Eusta took the string of fish and gave a soft whistle.

"Little creek near the village; I've never seen so many fish in the same spot." Xena pointed in the stream's general direction surprised by the puzzled look that came over both Caith and Eusta's faces. "What?"

Caith shook her head, grabbing the other end of the stringer of fish. "Nothing, just a bit surprised, most of us don't have much luck in that gods be damned stream. Those trout are blessed by wily Athena herself."

Eusta nodded. "Most of us haven't caught a fish out of that stream in ages; none of 'em will take a bait."

"What did you use Xena?" Caith looked at her excitedly.

Xena shrugged. "I didn't use bait, I used my hands." She lifted both of them and wiggled her fingers enjoying the incredulous look on the faces of the two cooks.

"You caught these barehanded?" Eusta wiggled the stringer for emphasis, unable to hide her surprise.

"Yeah. Was a lot of fun too; haven't spent that much time fishing in a while." She resisted the urge to chuckle at their stunned expressions. "Hey have either of you seen Gabrielle?"

Eusta nodded. "Yes, the Queen was seen heading to the bathing hut about an hour ago. She might still be there."

Xena gave them a slight smile before leaving them standing there with a huge stringer of trout and stupefied expressions on their faces.

"Eusta, do you think she was serious?"

Eusta shook her head. "Have you ever known her to be anything but?"

* * *

_Forget this life  
Come with me  
Don't look back you're safe now_

Xena wandered over to the bathing hut hearing Gabrielle's voice just as she told the young Amazon she could ask her anything she wished. She stopped for a moment, hesitating, listening and wondering how Gabrielle would handle the situation.

Inside the bathing hut, Gabrielle braced herself as the young Amazon posed her question.

"Well, we wanted to ask you about the fight with Valesca. Is it true you were hanging over a lava pit and that Xena rescued you by jumping off a cliff?"

Xena tensed at the question, feeling a touch of guilt come over her at the memory of how close she had come to losing the young bard. Inside her tension went unnoticed.

The wistful, awed tone in the young girl's voice nearly made Gabrielle chuckle. Relieved, she simply nodded. "Yes it is."

There was a collective sigh from the other young girls and the first one looked at Gabrielle with a look that could only be described as pure hero worship. Gabrielle chuckled to herself even as the girl began talking excitedly again.

"That is just so heroic. She must be so strong to have stopped Valesca and rescued you like that."

Gabrielle nodded. "It's true that she's strong. But she didn't beat Valesca using her strength."

"Then how did she beat her?" The girl seemed unconvinced.

"Because she used this." Gabrielle reached out and touched the young girl on the forehead. "And you know what?" The girl shook her head. "When you use your mind, it doesn't matter how strong your opponent is. Because when you outthink them, you've beaten them. And that's what Xena did. She outthought both Valesca and Callisto."

Outside the hut, Xena smiled at the truth of that statement.

One of the young girls spoke up from the back of the group. "You're a better person than I am Queen Gabrielle. I don't know if I could forgive what Xena did in order to beat Valesca." In an instant the relaxed atmosphere was shattered.

Both Gabrielle and Xena tensed at the young girl's words each for very different reasons, but both out of a misplaced sense of guilt.

"You mean when she freed Callisto?" Gabrielle's quiet voice filled the hut.

The young girl nodded. "Yeah and not telling you about it. I think if it had been me, I'd have been plenty mad at her. I don't know if I could have forgiven either one of them for the terrible things they've done."

There was silence for a moment as Gabrielle absorbed her words. "So what you're saying is that I should hate her. Because she didn't bother to tell me about using Callisto to defeat Valesca until it was too late."

Xena heard the first undertones of anger entering the bard's voice and cringed thinking that she was the source. Suddenly unsure and fearful, feeling renewed guilt over what she had done, she waited to hear just what Gabrielle's thoughts were on the touchy subject.

The other girl nodded, not seeing the fine edge she was suddenly treading. "Yeah, that's what I'm saying."

Gabrielle sighed loudly, bringing her knees up and laying her chin on them as she thought for several moments on just what to say.

"You know you're right, I should hate her. She lied to me, she betrayed my trust and freed my husband's murder all in the name of the greater good. I should be furious beyond coherent thought at what she's done."

Outside, Xena felt each word like a physical blow and each one found its mark, slipping through all her defenses to slice at her heart and soul. Only a short time ago, she was contemplating telling the bard she loved her, tired of hiding the truth.

Now she knew the truth; Gabrielle was angry with her, mostly likely hated her for what she'd been forced to do. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the tears spill down her cheeks as she stumbled away from the hut, her legs unsteady. She never heard Gabrielle's next words.

Inside Gabrielle continued talking, unaware of the sudden emotional crisis her friend was going through right at that moment.

She fixed the young Amazon with a firm gaze, her brilliant green eyes suddenly blazing

as she let her anger have free reign.

"But you know what, I just can't do it. The hatred, the anger none of that matters. She did what she had to do to save me, to save all of you." She fixed each Amazon with the same glare daring them to deny it. Everyone was silent. "And you know what, she did it knowing perfectly well how it would affect me. And I let her, knowing just what it would do to her to think she hurt me like that. I understand that. I accept that. And quite frankly so should you. Because the next time you need my help, you'd best remember who I choose to be my champion."

Properly chastised, the young Amazon bowed her head. "Yes Queen Gabrielle."

Gabrielle left the bathing hut soon after uttering her angered words, her good mood destroyed by the confrontation with the young Amazons. She walked through the village and was surprised to see Ephiny make a bee line for her.

The regent fell in step beside her. "Have you talked to her yet?" There was no need to ask just who she meant.

Gabrielle chuckled at the single mindedness of her friend. "Well no, but I haven't seen her since lunch so it's kind of hard to find the time."

Ephiny sighed loudly. "You need to make the time. You have to tell her Gabrielle. She deserves to know the truth."

"I know. I'm just waiting for the perfect time to bring it up." Gabrielle threw her hands in the air in annoyance.

The older Amazon snorted. "Perfect time? With you two there is no such thing. If she hadn't died, you probably wouldn't even have admitted to me how you feel. And don't get me started on her; gods be damned warrior stoicism anyway. I swear the entire lot of them need to be strung up by their heels."

The bard looked at the blond next to her in surprise. "Ephiny, not to split hairs, but aren't you a warrior?"

"I'm an Amazon." Ephiny gave a jerk of her head for emphasis.

Gabrielle waited for further explanation but was greeted with silence. She turned to Ephiny and chuckled. "Huh, that was clear as mud."

Ephiny chuckled as well. "Don't change the subject, go talk to her; or I will."

They reached the queen's hut and Gabrielle walked inside, throwing her parting remark over her shoulder. "Fine. Damn pushy regent anyway."

Ephiny chuckled, shouting at the bard's back. "It's for your own good!"

* * *

_Unlock your heart  
Drop your guard  
No one's left to stop you now_

Ephiny left Gabrielle and wandered back towards the dining hut to talk with both Eusta and Caith about the preparations for the feast to follow the festival. She walked into the large kitchen area, listening to the two of them arguing and laughing good naturedly.

"You two are in good spirits today." Ephiny noticed the large pile of fish and wondered if the hunting party had returned already.

"Well we've got the makings of a grand feast here, thanks to Xena." Eusta waved her hand across the large pile of fish.

Ephiny was surprised. "Xena? She caught these fish? By herself?"

Eusta and Caith nodded. "She sure did, said she did it barehanded."

"Barehanded? All of them?" Her shocked voice rose in volume.

Caith handed the regent something to drink smiling slightly. "Tell her where she got them from Eusta."

Ephiny turned to the other cook, her light brows raised.

Eusta smiled. "She caught 'em out of that gods be damned creek!"

Ephiny nearly choked on her drink, spitting and hacking loudly as she stared at the large pile of trout being prepared for dinner that night. Caith reached over and pounded her soundly between her shoulder blades.

"She caught these out of _that_ creek?" The cooks nodded. Ephiny shook her head, taking another deep drink as she again stared at the fish. "What do you suppose her mother fed her as a child?"

* * *

Ephiny left the dining hut still shaking her head over the surprise that Xena had left in the kitchen. Now she knew that Xena had returned, even if the rest of the hunting party was still out. She wondered where the tall warrior had gotten off to, or if Gabrielle had found her. 

Realizing that Gabrielle was still most likely in her quarters, unaware that Xena had even returned, she decided to nudge things along for the two of them and went off in search of tall, dark and moody. She headed for the stables knowing full well that Xena never missed a chance to spend some time with her horse when she had nothing else to do.

She ducked inside the building, hearing someone shuffling around inside. She was surprised to see just who was there and even more surprised to see that person packing supplies into a couple of saddle bags.

"Xena, what are you doing?"

Xena didn't even look up at Ephiny's voice. "I'm leaving, what's it look like." She shoved some more travel food in her saddlebag.

Ephiny stepped closer still confused by the anger in Xena's voice and movements. "Gabrielle didn't mention you guys leaving tonight. She said you'd stay for the party."

"She isn't coming with me." Xena tied the saddle bags shut, leaning them against the stall wall as she grabbed Argo's saddle.

"What?" Her shocked exclamation echoed in the largely empty stable.

Xena threw the saddle over Argo's back and began tightening the straps. Argo shifted nervously, her ears twitching as she sensed her mistress's anger and distress. Xena soothed her softly never taking her eyes off the horse as she continued saddling her.

"I'm leaving her here Ephiny. She isn't coming with me." Xena finished tightening the saddle and came out of the stall to grab her bags. "It's the best thing for her. It's what I should have done from the beginning. I never should have let her follow me. I should have just sent her home and made her stay there. At least then she would have been safe." She tied one bag on and walked to the other side to tie on the other.

"Xena…" Ephiny tried to cut in but Xena ignored her and kept on talking.

"Since I can't do that, I've decided to leave her here. She won't be hurt again because of me or my past. She'll have a normal life, she'll raise a family, she'll die old in her bed surrounded by the people she loves. She deserves a good life." Xena tied on the last bag and came out of the stall, looking for Argo's halter.

Ephiny could not believe what Xena was saying. "Xena you're not making any sense. You know as well as I do how stubborn she is. Do you really think you'll be able to convince her that staying here is really best for her?" Ephiny stepped closer to the stall, watching Xena's jerky but gentle motions as she bridled her horse. Something was bothering the normally stoic woman. "By the gods, she ran away from her home village just to travel with you."

Xena finished with the bridle. "I have to try Ephiny. I can't hurt her again, not like this; not ever again." She turned to face Ephiny for a split second, something unreadable in her eyes.

Surprised at the glimpse of emotion she saw there, another piece of the puzzle clicked for Ephiny. "Xena, does Gabrielle know you're in love with her?"

Xena went utterly still next to her, looking at her hands as she spoke. "No, she doesn't. And I don't plan on telling her, ever."

Surprised by the easy admission she almost missed what Xena was really saying. "Why in the name of Zeus would you keep that to yourself?"

This time when she looked at Ephiny, there was pain in her eyes, pain and a desperate hope. "She deserves someone better than me Ephiny. She deserves to be loved by someone who doesn't come with a soul as dark as Hades's beard."

Ephiny snorted trying to lighten the mood. "Hade's doesn't have a beard.'

Xena gave her a dangerous look, stepping closer. "Don't split hairs with me."

"Then stop being so damned stubborn." Ephiny resisted the urge to jab the stubborn warrior in the chest, fearful that she might get her finger broken for her trouble.

"I'm not being stubborn, I'm trying to protect her." She pushed past Ephiny, looking for something to occupy her hands to fight the rising tide of violence she could feel building in her.

Behind her Ephiny kept pushing. "By driving her away?" Ephiny snorted loudly. "If you love her, you've got a strange way of showing it."

"I don't recall asking your opinion." Xena grabbed a grooming brush, twirling it in her hands, pushing away the voice inside her head that told her just how she could use it to shut the pushy regent up.

Ephiny stepped closer, unaware of the fragile and dangerous situation she was putting herself in. "Yeah well when you stop acting like the back end of a centaur, I'll start keeping my opinion to myself. And just so you know, this one's free of charge. Next time you start paying."

"Don't push me Ephiny. I push back, remember." Xena turned, glaring a warning at the regent.

Seeing the barely subdued violence in Xena's eyes and stance, Ephiny held up her hands realizing that maybe she had pushed too far. "All I'm asking is for you to tell her, she deserves to know the truth."

"And what truth would that be? That I love her? That I can't stand the thought of living another moment of my life without her? That the only reason I came back was because I couldn't listen to her pain any longer?" She threw the comb away from her violently, not caring that it shattered when it hit the solid wood wall on the other side of the stables. She stepped closer to Ephiny.

"Do you think she could handle hearing that I think about her all the time? That I dream about her, fantasize about her? Do you think she'd want to hear that her best friend's been having impure thoughts about her for almost a year now? Or maybe she'd like me to tell her exactly what those thoughts were." Xena turned away once more, grabbing onto Argo's stall, her strong hands gripping the wood and squeezing as she tried to maintain some control. Her shoulders shook with the effort.

"I thought I was doing her a favor by dying; that somehow my death would save her from the darkness inside of me. But it didn't because my dying nearly killed her. I didn't have a choice; I had to come back, because she was breaking my heart. And now it's even worse because I can't live without her and I sure as Tartarus can't imagine being dead without her either." Her voice was quiet, barely reaching Ephiny's ears.

Ephiny sighed behind her. "Artemis save me from stubborn, hard-headed, macho warriors. If its not one thing with you bunch its another." There was no response from the dark warrior and Ephiny felt her own anger build.

She did not need this. She had a village to run, people to take care of. She did not have the time to hold Xena's hand while she figured out what to do. It was time to take the bull by the horns and hope she was not about to get mauled.

"You can be so damned self-righteous sometimes. It makes me sick."

Xena snorted. "What do you care? Without me here, she's yours. She'll finally be the Queen she was supposed to be and she'll be here. What do you care if I leave?"

Ephiny had a sudden urge to walk up to the deadly warrior and knock her upside the head for being so obtuse. "Don't you get it, she's nothing without you. If you leave, she won't stay; not an hour past the moment she finds you gone. She'll follow you to the ends of the Earth and back if that's what it takes. Look what she just went through to bring you back!"

Xena whirled around suddenly in Ephiny's face as she nearly snarled. "And look how I repaid that! I don't deserve that kind of loyalty from her."

Surprised by the speed of the dark woman, Ephiny resisted the urge to step back. "No, no I guess you don't." She agreed. "But then again she does, so where does that leave you?"

Xena said nothing.

Ephiny knew that she was afraid, despite the warrior's stoic mask she could feel it radiating off the other woman. Ephiny well remembered how afraid she was when she realized just how much she felt for Phantes and just how much it took before she finally let go and let him in. So she well understood the motives behind Xena's self denial, even if she didn't know the reasons.

Ephiny stepped closer, her voice soothing. "Xena, you've spent your entire life doing things far beyond the reach of the rest of us mortals. You've faced down monsters, kings and warlords without so much as a twinge of fear. By Tartarus you've even faced down Ares himself on more than one occasion and yet a mere slip of a girl has you trembling in your boots. Are you that afraid to let her in?"

Xena sighed. "I…I don't know."

"You told her you would always be there for her. Or was that a lie just to make her feel better?"

Xena shook her head violently. "I meant what I said."

"Then prove it." Xena was silent. Ephiny decided to push one final time. "Xena, do you love her?"

Xena turned to look at her. "I came back from the dead because she asked me to. What do you think?" Xena's blue gaze never wavered, giving Ephiny her answer.

"Then go talk to her. At least tell her yourself why you're leaving. Cause I'll be damned if you expect me to explain this to her." With that, the regent left the stable.

To be continued


	4. Chapter 4

For Disclaimers see Ch. 1

Feedback at Go Ch 4

By

Bobbie Halchishak

* * *

_Forget this life  
Come with me  
Don't look back you're safe now_

Gabrielle put her things away, glad to be clean and in clean clothes once more. She stepped out of her hut, having only taken a few steps away from the doorway when she heard a horse galloping out of the village. She looked for the source of the sound, wondering if something had happened while she was bathing, and was surprised to recognize the tall dark rider that tore out of the village.

She frowned slightly, watching Xena ride away as Ephiny came up to her. "Ephiny, where's Xena going?"

"Gabrielle, I…" Ephiny took a deep breath and then sighed. "I'm not sure. We had a bit of an argument in the stables; she was rather…upset when I left her."

Gabrielle snorted. "You know I've never heard it phrased quite like that before. What in the name of Zeus did you say to her?" She crossed her arms over her chest, wondering just what had happened to her friend since this morning to send her running from the village with Argo.

"Gabrielle," Ephiny began.

But Gabrielle interrupted her, holding up her hands. "Look, its okay, I don't really want to know what was said. I'm just worried about her; this isn't like her."

Ephiny draped an arm around the bard's shoulders giving her a quick squeeze. "I know, but if it helps any, she rode Argo out of here bareback; all her tack and all your stuff is still in the stables."

Gabrielle nodded once. "She's coming back."

"Come on, let's go see if we can't do something to keep you occupied until she comes back. I know I've got some obscure Amazon rites and rituals we have to sort through for the festival." She began leading the queen away, towards the building where the Amazon archives were housed.

Gabrielle let herself be led away, agreeing with Ephiny that she needed to do something to occupy her mind, but not putting any faith in her ability to be distracted at that moment. Her mind was riding along with her dark haired friend, worried and bothered by the sudden departure. She sighed loudly and set herself to wait.

* * *

_Unlock your heart  
Drop your guard  
No one's left to stop you now_

Xena rode Argo through the forest as if Bacchus' wolves were on her heels. With each jarring impact of hooves on the ground, she felt another stab to her heart and soul as Gabrielle's words once more struck her.

_You're right, I should hate her_. Xena flinched as a branch slashed across her face. _She lied to me, she betrayed my trust_. Each flash of the bard's words was like a knife to her chest. _She freed my husband's murderer_. Xena felt her heart breaking, almost as if someone was reaching into her chest and squeezing it as hard as they could. _I should be furious beyond coherent thought at what she's done_. _She betrayed my trust._

Xena jerked on the reins as Gabrielle's words crashed over her again. Argo gave a harsh cry before going into a swift buck, something she had never done before. Unable to stop her momentum, or even perhaps unwilling, Xena flew off the horse sideways, slamming into the ground, skidding along it for a short distance before stopping.

Xena lay there for several moments, numb and bruised, her mind whirling even as her body refused to obey her and get up. Argo came over to her, nudging her softly and whickering and snorting at her gently, as if apologizing for throwing her. Slowly, after several moments, she stirred, finally sitting up.

She gave a soft moan just as she heard a harsh chuckle nearby. She reacted without thought, surging to her feet, letting her senses and instincts take over as she searched for the threat. She heard the chuckle again and whirled to face the source, a dark and shadowy figure that was very eerily familiar.

_Look at you, the great Xena thrown from her horse, beaten down by words. Since when have words ever hurt you? _

The figure stepped closer and Xena felt an eerie sense of déjà vu as she stood there staring at her own face, the same one she had seen in the dreamscape when she had rescued Gabrielle from the deadly fate of becoming Morpheus' bride.

The darker part of herself gave another harsh chuckle, the chill of it running down Xena's spine as she stared into the black, black eyes of the part of herself she never wished to acknowledge again.

_Especially when its so much more fun to simply kill the messenger? _Her dark self stepped forward, walking around her, a strange annoyed expression on her face.

Xena stood still, refusing to even acknowledge the creepy, slimy feeling her gaze caused. She remained silent as her dark self came back around to face her.

_What ever made you think you could be anything other than what you are?_ Xena didn't answer. Again there was a sinister chuckle from her other self. _How can you deny what you are, even now? You don't love people Xena, you use them until they serve no purpose and then you discard them. That is how the strong survive!_

Xena looked at her dark image, blue eyes locking with black. "Not anymore; I'm not that person any longer."

_Do you think it matters? That by simply saying it you make it true?_

"It is true and not because I say it is."

Her darker self stepped closer, smirking devilishly. _Because _she_ says it is? If you think that you're an even bigger fool than I thought you were. She hates you now; she sees you for what you are and she fears the darkness inside you. You are a murderer._

Xena clenched her jaw feeling the muscles tighten until her teeth creaked softly inside her skull. "No, I only kill in self defense."

Again her darker self circled slowly. _But that wasn't always your way or don't you remember? Once a murderer, always a murderer and there's nothing you can do that'll ever change that fact. Have you forgotten the flames of Tartarus so easily?_

Xena shivered slightly at the memory of the heat of the place, the pain of hanging on the cross once more. "No, I haven't but that doesn't mean I stop fighting, it doesn't mean I give up. I may never redeem myself for the sins of my past but I won't stop fighting for the greater good." She swallowed loudly, pushing the lump that thought caused in her throat down deep. "It's all I have left."

_Because you know she'll leave you; because she hates you. Be honest Xena, can you keep on fighting without her?_

That was the truth of the matter wasn't it? Could she keep going without Gabrielle? Could she find the strength to continue fighting without the one thing that inspired her to do it in the first place? Suddenly Xena had no answer. "I don't know." The admission seemed to drain her and she sank to her knees on the forest floor.

_You're a fool Xena, a weak fool. You think love makes you strong? What a cosmic joke. Look what it's done to you, the greatest warrior of all time, on her knees on the verge of tears and for what? Love? What a waste._

Xena felt something snap inside of her at those words, surging to her feet as she stomped several paces away hoping to put some distance between herself and the source of her self doubt. "I am not weak or a fool. The love I feel for her gives me a reason to fight, to do the impossible day in and day out. If it hadn't been for her, I'd be dead a hundred times over already."

_Such faith you have in her. It's a bit misplaced don't you think?_

Xena knew that if she turned she would see her darker half standing directly behind her. "No, I don't."

_Oh come on Xena, I know you better than that. She sided with your enemies, Amazons who felt you made a poor choice in releasing Callisto to fight Valesca._

Xena shook her head. "She's welcome to her own opinion." No matter what the bard might feel towards her, she couldn't bring herself to say anything negative against her.

_She betrayed you! _Her darker self nearly shouted this last at her.

Xena whirled to face her tormentor, the instinct to protect her friend roaring to life. "No, she didn't. The truth of the matter is that _I_ betrayed _her_. _I_ was the one who freed Callisto, _I_ was the one who used her husband's murderer to save her life. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it she meant she'd live, because I'm not strong enough without her." For a moment Xena took in a deep shuddering breath as she searched her heart and found the truth waiting to be discovered there.

"The truth is she's the strong one; even after everything I did to save her life, she found a way to forgive Callisto for killing Perdicus. She forgave her! If she can forgive that psychotic bitch for that, forgiving me for releasing her should be a forgone conclusion." As the words left her mouth, she realized just how true they really were. Freeing the murderous immortal had caused the bard a great deal of pain. She knew it would; from the moment the idea popped in her head, she knew what the consequences of that decision might be.

But when weighed against the fear that somehow, she might fail her friend and Gabrielle might die, Xena decided that it would be better if she were hated by a living, breathing bard rather than mourning over a pyre with no comfort to be had other than the knowledge that Gabrielle could hear her thoughts.

But that hadn't happened. And even more importantly, Gabrielle had found a way to forgive the psychopath that murdered her husband. She told Xena she needed to believe that Callisto was truly sorry for her actions in order to forgive her. And she needed to forgive her in order to move on. So, that's just what she did.

Xena smiled slightly, feeling truly proud of the young bard for her ability to reach inside herself and let go of the darker feelings that plagued her. It was something she herself couldn't have done and she freely admitted it. But Gabrielle's heart was different than her own; it was one of the first things she had ever noticed about her friend and it was still, even now, something she marveled at.

Her dark image shuddered slightly and then faded away, almost as if she'd never been there in the first place. Xena sighed loudly as the darker feelings, the anger, the betrayal the utter pain caused by Gabrielle's words simply faded away. And she was left standing there in the forest, feeling suddenly lighter than she had in years.

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as Argo approached her slowly, whickering softly and nipping at her shoulder. Xena reached up and rubbed the horse's nose gently.

"Hey girl, I'm not angry, wasn't your fault; I shouldn't have scared you like that." Xena smiled as Argo blew into her hand. "You know I'm kind of glad you threw me; it knocked some sense into me." Argo tossed her head and Xena laughed. "No it did, honestly. Now how's about we go back to the village and tell Gabrielle all about it."

Argo nodded her head vigorously and Xena felt fresh tears stinging her eyes as she laughed. She grabbed the mare's reins and vaulted into the saddle. A sudden sense of urgency had her digging her heels into Argo's sides, urging the palomino on faster. But this time there were no wolves chasing at her heels.

* * *

_We're leaving here tonight  
There's no need to tell anyone  
They'd only hold us down_

Xena rode Argo straight to the stable, leaping off her just outside the door and walking her into the wooden building. She was surprised to see Gabrielle waiting inside for her near Argo's stall and the pile of their stuff that she had left behind when she rode out.

Xena gave her a slight smile as Argo made a beeline for the stall. "Hey." She began stripping off the saddle and other tack.

Gabrielle nodded slightly at the greeting. "Hey." She stood there for several moments watching as Xena finished removing Argo's tack and then began grooming the mare. After a moment, as the silence lengthened between them, Gabrielle spoke up. "Where have you been? You were gone so long, I was getting worried."

Xena felt a surge of guilt at that and began grooming Argo faster. "I needed to take a ride, think about some stuff, clear my head."

"What were you thinking about?" Gabrielle's voice was soft, gentle but there was a touch of steel to it that Xena had not heard in a while.

Xena shrugged. "Stuff." She felt Gabrielle step up, just behind her, the bard's gentle presence proving to be very distracting suddenly.

Again her voice was soft, soothing. "Xena, if something's bothering you, please, don't shut me out. I can help."

This time Xena turned to face the young Amazon. "Like how I've been helping you with the dreams?"

Gabrielle was quiet for several moments, hanging her head a bit as she spoke. "It's not the same thing."

Xena snorted softly. "Oh really?" Gabrielle remained silent and Xena knew that the direct approach wouldn't work with the bard; it was time to try another tactic. She suddenly changed the direction of her attack. "I had a talk with Ephiny today."

"Oh, about what?" She tried to sound unconcerned but there was a slight hitch in her voice.

Xena didn't buy her act and folded her arms across her chest. "Come on Gabrielle we both know the only thing that would make Ephiny have an involved conversation with me is you. She was worried about you." Xena paused a moment, looking at her feet and then the bard's face as she said softly. "After talking to her, I have to admit I am too."

Gabrielle took a deep breath feeling her lip beginning to tremble slightly as tears pooled in her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest, reaching up to brush the tears away a moment before Xena's strong arms folded around her, offering her the comfort she so desperately needed.

She buried her face into Xena's shoulder, sniffling and sobbing quietly as Xena held her. After a moment she found her voice. "I was just so lost without you. It hurt so much, I didn't know what to do."

Xena's arms tightened. "So you stopped eating." She didn't mean to chastise the bard but she was so frightened at how close she'd come to dying herself.

Gabrielle pulled away, wiping her face. "I know it wasn't the smartest thing to do but I just couldn't eat." She crossed her arms over her chest, shivering at the memory of those first horrid filled days. "Every time I tried my stomach would just curl into a hard ball and I'd get sick. The only thing that helped was not eating, so I stopped. I never meant to worry anyone, I just didn't know what to do."

Xena resisted the urge to reach out again, needing to push the bard to explore more of what she was feeling. "She told me the truth about the nightmares." Gabrielle shuddered. "Theses are worse than when Perdicus was killed aren't they?" Gabrielle nodded. Xena sighed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "You've already been through so much, dying, coming back, fighting Valesca. I didn't want to add to all that."

Xena tried a bit of levity. "These shoulders are pretty broad you know. They can handle it." She reached up and touched said shoulders giving Gabrielle a wry smile. The bard smiled slightly. Then the moment was gone and Xena reached out to take her friend by the shoulders. "Gabrielle, no matter what you're going through, no matter how much pain you're in, I will always be there for you."

"You said that before." Gabrielle sniffed slightly, brushing fresh tears away.

"And I'm saying it now. You believe that don't you?"

Gabrielle nodded. "Yes I do."

"Good, then spill it." She gave the bard her best look, dropping her voice to its most commanding tone as she pushed once more.

Gabrielle took a deep breath, gathering her courage to relive those horrid moments when she thought her life was over. "At first they were just nightmares about you dying. I'd be dragging your body up the mountain, only I'd never get there, I'd just keep walking and walking and praying by the gods did I pray. Or I'd get there and it would just be a repeat of what happened the first time; you'd die just as I pulled you through the door. I figured those were just me trying to work through my grief. But the night you came back, they changed.

"How?"

Gabrielle swallowed loudly, feeling a lump forming her throat. "I never made it in time."

"I don't understand."

She gave a deep sigh, feeling her heart clench in terror as she recalled just what her latest nightmares were about. And the fear that somehow all that she'd done in the past week had been little more than a dream.

"When the Amazons put your body on the pyre, Autolycus never showed up to save your body even though I screamed that you were still alive. In my dream I watched your body burn, screaming while the Amazons held me back. I never managed to stop them.

"Sometimes I dreamt that I never found the Ambrosia, either Valesca got to it first or it wasn't there or worse it didn't work. All the dreams are about you staying dead, your coming back was nothing more than a dream.

She began crying softly again, wiping them away angrily but unable to stop them. "It's stupid, I know that. All I had to do was look over and see that it wasn't real. In my head I know it's just a dream but I just can't seem to convince my heart." She broke down, sobbing in pain and fear as the memories swept over her once more.

Xena came up behind her, embracing her firmly, resting her head on top of the bard's blonde locks. There were several moments of silence as Xena kissed the top of her head, soothing away the fear and pain in the bard's heart.

After a moment, she released the Amazon queen, turning her around to tend to her tear stained eyes and face. "You know what I think? I think these new nightmares of yours have nothing to do with me dying and everything to do with fear."

Xena reached into a nearby saddle bag to pull out something to soothe her friend's reddened eyes, applying it gently as she held Gabrielle's chin gently in her powerful hand. "What do you think?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "I don't know."

"Think Gabrielle, just let go. What are you really afraid of?" Xena finished tending to Gabrielle's eyes.

Gabrielle took a deep breath, letting fly with the first thoughts that came to her mind. "You didn't even try to save yourself!" Her sudden shout startled them both and there was a long moment of silence in the stables between them.

Finally Xena spoke. "What?"

Gabrielle took a deep breath letting it out in a rush. "When that log trap was set off, you saved the little girl but you just stood there. We both know that you could have gotten clear without even trying. But you didn't, you just stood there." She jabbed a finger at Xena, suddenly angry as her feelings floated to the surface. "Worse yet, you let me hope that you'd be okay, staying alive until we reached Niklio's hut. And then you just gave up. By the gods I want to hate you for that. But I can't." She reached out to touch the dark warrior in front of her, fear once again stealing her voice. "Why did you leave me?"

"Gabrielle…" For a long moment, Xena was at a lost for words. She took a deep breath trying desperately to think of a way to explain to the bard just why things had played out the way they had. "Going to Cirra reminded me of a very dark part of my life, a period of time that literally made me who I was before I fought Hercules. It wasn't pretty and it brought up a lot of doubts about myself and my new mission in life. I started to wonder if I could ever wash the blood away.

She looked down at her hands feeling a fresh wave of shame roll over her as she thought again on her past. There was such darkness there, such horrible acts of violence and evil. And it never seemed to stop touching her present, affecting her future.

"What I allowed to happen with Callisto's family, what I created there in her came back to kill me and hurt you. It haunts me to know that something I did came back to hurt you simply because you're my friend. So when I saw that log coming, I thought I'd finally found my fate and I didn't try to stop it. In my mind I deserved it for what happened there and what it created."

"And in Niklio's hut?"

Xena shrugged, unsure of that one herself. "I had a severe head injury and I was delirious I didn't know what I was doing." She took another deep breath and studied her hands, seeing the shadow of old blood on them. "In my mind I thought I'd been given a chance to go back and change things, make it so Xena destroyer of nations never existed. All I had to do was die in Niklio's hut and it would all go away.

"I would never have become the demon that razed the countryside, I would never have gone to Cirra, there would never have been a fire, Callisto would never been forced to watch her family burn and more importantly she wouldn't have grown up to murder Perdicus."

Gabrielle reached out and embraced the warrior close sharing the pain and shame she knew her friend felt over her past. For several long moments there was silence between them. Then Gabrielle pulled away from Xena reaching up to gently take Xena's face in her hands. She looked directly into the warrior's blue eyes as she asked her next question.

"That's why you ran away today wasn't it, because of what those girls said. This isn't about you dying, this about you freeing Callisto to save me, isn't it?"

Xena nodded. "Yeah, it is." This time Xena's eyes filled with tears as she reached up to take one of Gabrielle's hands in her own. "I freed her Gabrielle and I used her to fight Valesca, to keep you alive. Because I thought that somehow, you being alive and hating me was far better than running for the rest of our lives or worse, somehow failing you and getting you killed.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you again Gabrielle. I never meant for it to happen. I died to try to keep it from happening again. But that only made things worse for you. I had no choice but to come back. And the first thing I do when I'm back is hurt you all over again." Xena looked down, unable to look Gabrielle in the eye as she gave her confession.

Gabrielle reached out, taking Xena's chin in her hand and lifting the warrior's eyes to meet her own once more. Her green eyes were filled with compassion and love as she looked at the warrior. "Xena, I need you to listen to me because I'm only going to say this once. You freeing Callisto hurt me, but not for the reasons you think."

Xena frowned slightly "I don't understand."

Gabrielle sighed, her hands dropping to her sides once more. "Do you remember the conversation we had about Bacchus, right before Perdicus showed up?"

"Yes."

"You lied to me then, didn't you?"

Xena went still. "I don't know what you're talking about." She knew very well what Gabrielle was talking about, her memory immediately supplying the conversation.

Gabrielle knew it as well. Angered, she shook an accusing finger at the taller woman. "Yes you do and don't bother denying it." She threw her hands into the air. "I was a bacchae Xena! When I bit you, I could hear your thoughts. I felt what you felt. And I knew you loved me. But when I asked you about it, you played it off like it was nothing. It hurt me a great deal."

Now things began to make sense to her. "Enough to send you running to someone else?"

Gabrielle nodded. "I wanted you to love me the way I loved you. And when you denied what you felt, it really hurt me. So, I let Perdicus's words sway me. I told you I was going to marry him because I hoped that you would step in and tell me not to."

"But you said you loved him."

"I know what I said and I did love him, in my own way. But it never would have worked Xena. He didn't hold my heart."

Of all the ways she had imagined this conversation going, this was not one of them and Xena found herself fighting for balance on a very slippery slope. "So why did you marry him?"

"Because he asked and you didn't stop me." There was stunned silence from the warrior and Gabrielle gave her the final jab. "Don't you see Xena, you freeing Callisto didn't hurt me because she killed the man I loved. It hurt me because she reminded me just how much I didn't love him. He died because I was selfish and childish. If I had been as honest with you as I wanted you to be with me, none of this would have happened."

Unable to stop herself, Xena threw her arms around the bard, pulling her close as she simply held her. For the first time since she realized that she was in love with the young woman, Xena felt a huge weight slide off her heart and shoulders. Gabrielle felt the same way and was just as desperate to feel that love returned as Xena was to admit to feeling it in the first place.

Suddenly the absolute absurdity of the conversation struck her and she began to chuckle slightly. "By the gods we're a pair aren't we? Both of us trying to protect the other's heart from what we really feel at the expense of our own souls. And both of us making things worse for it."

"Xena?" Gabrielle voice drifted up from where she was resting her head against Xena's shoulder.

Xena felt a smile crease her face as she stood there holding the woman she loved. "Hmmm?"

"What changed your mind, about dying I mean?" Gabrielle traced gentle patterns into Xena's leather covered back, her voice soft and unsure.

Again Xena smiled, reaching up to cup Gabrielle's head as she kissed the top of the bard's head again. "You did." She said softly.

"Me?" Surprised, Gabrielle lifted her head from Xena's shoulder.

Xena nodded, looking deep into the bard's eyes as she stopped resisting and gave her the truth behind her sudden need to return to the land of the living. "I heard your thoughts, felt what was in your heart. You were in so much pain, I just couldn't stand by and do nothing. I had to come back."

Touched, Gabrielle could only marvel at those words. "So I'm the reason you came back."

"Yes. Well that and I really wanted to do this before I died." She leaned in, the bard meeting her halfway as their lips met for the first time in a sweet gentle kiss that filled both of their souls with warmth and light. After several moments Xena pulled back, smiling at the befuddled look on the bard's face.

After a moment, Gabrielle's eyes cleared and she gave the warrior a stern look. "Good, because I want you to know that I would have come after you; after all you were holding my heart. I couldn't very well let you take that into the underworld, could I?"

Touched by the declaration, Xena smiled. "Are you saying you love me?"

Gabrielle chuckled. "I would've have thought you hearing my thoughts would've clued you in."

Another smile from the deadly warrior. "Well, I was dead at the time. I wasn't really sure if what I was hearing was wishful thinking or something more."

Gabrielle's tone grew serious. "I never wanted to tell you. After what happened with Bacchus, I was so scared you didn't feel the same way, that I had imagined it all. But when you died, I had to tell you; it was my last chance." She gave Xena a wan smile. Lousy timing huh?"

"Well, it did give me the courage to kiss you right before you brought me back."

Gabrielle gave a surprised laugh. "That was you?" Xena nodded. "I was hoping it wasn't Autolycus."

A dark brow lifted slightly. "Right. Why do you think I slugged him for touching your butt when you came to?"

Gabrielle laughed again at the memory of that kiss. "I can't believe you used the opportunity to cop a feel."

Xena sobered. "Wasn't sure I'd get another chance."

Gabrielle laughed and reached out to touch Xena's cheek, feeling Xena reach up to hold Gabrielle's hand against her face. "You'll get plenty of chances now, I hope you know."

"Yeah, I kind of figured."

Gabrielle reached up, pulling Xena down to meet her as their lips met again. It built quickly between them as each of them let go and let the love they felt float to the surface. They pulled back, both breathless as Gabrielle let her head fall against Xena's armored chest.

Xena gave a slight chuckle, looking down at the bard. "Well I don't know about you, but I'm suddenly really hungry."

Gabrielle giggled slightly. "Must be all that arguing, works up an appetite."

"Or maybe it's the kissing."

"Maybe." She looked up, sky blue eyes meeting green as she spoke from the heart. "I love you Xena."

Xena smiled at her in pure affection. "I love you too Gabrielle."

* * *

_So by the morning light  
We'll be halfway to anywhere  
Where love is more than just your name_

Several moments later, they walked out of the stables together, striding through the village hand in hand. Xena looked around at the passing Amazons seeing the startled and pleased looks cross over several faces as they took in the sight of their queen's hand entwined with that of her chosen champion.

The looks of approval touched her even as they reminded her that there were so many others that cared for the young queen. Others that might perhaps not be happy if Gabrielle were hurt.

"I nearly left you here." Xena looked down at her companion as she let her final confession fall from her lips.

Startled, Gabrielle nearly stopped walking. "What? But why?"

Xena gave her hand a gentle squeeze even as she waved a greeting at a passing Amazon. "I hurt you Gabrielle. No matter what you say, I hurt you and I'm so scared of hurting you again."

She dropped Xena's hand, wrapping her arm around the warrior's waist. "We're always hurt worst by the people we love because those are the ones who hold the keys to our hearts and souls. But locking yourself away won't save you from being hurt, it'll just make you numb inside and kill you even faster. Don't lock me out anymore Xena. Don't deny yourself the chance to be loved."

Xena snorted even as she draped her arm around the bard's shoulders. "How could I? You'd only chase me down and talk until I had no choice but to surrender."

Gabrielle laughed loudly. "You just keep that in mind the next time you go running off oh Miss Brooding Warrior Princess." She jabbed Xena gently in the stomach.

"How could I forget? You'd just keep reminding me."

"Hey someone has to keep you in line."

"I'll keep that in mind." They wandered back to their shared hut, their laughter echoing out over the village.


End file.
